Ely from Coveney (RGL2026)

Coveney and Wardy Hill Data

Mike Petty's Coveney and Wardy Hill Scrapbook

1899

Thomas Lucas, 41, was sentenced to 12 years penal servitude for the attempted murder of his wife Mary in Coveney, 27th October.

Cambridge Independent Press, 3 November 1899

THE COVENEY TRAGEDY.

The accused man in the Coveney tragedy, Thomas Lucas, aged 41, a small farmer, was brought up at the Cambs. Assizes, held before Mr. Justice Wills, last Friday, on the charge of feloniously shooting his wife, Mary Jane, with intent to kill and murder her, at Coveney, on 7th July.

Prisoner, who pleaded not guilty, presented a very changed appearance, he having grown a beard.

After about ten minutes’ deliberation, the Jury found prisoner guilty of shooting his wife with intent to do her grievous bodily harm.

His Lordship said that the Jury had taken the more merciful and probably the safer view of the two, though he confessed he had grave doubts whether prisoner’s intent was not that contained in the first count of the indictment. He accepted unreservedly the finding of the Jury, and he would sentence prisoner as he should have done had there been no charge of attempting to wound with intent to murder. It was a most desperate and cruel act, by which—

Prisoner: I did it accidentally.

His Lordship (continuing): By which the unfortunate woman lost an arm, and it was the last stage in a long series of acts of cruelty, against which prisoner had been warned. Notwithstanding that he had been persistent. He would go to penal servitude for twelve years.